former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[James Barber]

Southwark Council has submitted its Local Implimentation Plan to Transport for London of how it wants to shape and change its highways and transport over the next three years. A rolling ?9.8M plan - see attached.

Two things solely proposed for the Dulwich Community Council area covering East Dulwich, Dulwich Village and College wards. Spending ?500,000 on public realm and speed reduction along Lordship Lane and Grove Vale - making it more shared space. Spending ?500,000 subsidising the number 42 bus being extended from Sunray Avenue to terminate at Sainsbury?s on Dog Kennel Hill during financial year 2011/12 & 2012/13. This bus extension subsidy does seem expensive.

Proposed schemes covering the whole of Southwark include - cycle training, travel awareness and promotion events, safe routes to school/travel plans, supporting sustianable infrastructure, speed reductions measures, surveying, eletric vehicle on street charging points.

What do you think is needed to improve Southwark roads?

Have we hit the mark?

[James Barber]

Dulwich Hospital intermediate beds have been closed 'temporarily'.

Apparently all the lifts have to have maintenance done at the same time so Southwark NHS is closing the Intermediate Care Unit at Dulwich Hospital.

"As a result, services provided on the upper floors of Dulwich Hospital including the Intermediate Care Unit are being moved. There will be no admissions to the Intermediate Care Unit until further notice and existing patients have been relocated. We are currently working with contractors to identify the costs and time scales associated with work required to ensure the lifts are properly certified and will provide an update as soon as possible."

So no idea when the services will re open.

Cynics might suggest Dulwich Hospital is closing by stealth.

Recently several planning applications have been submitted to improve the grounds - new pedestrian entrance and improving the existing one. re isntalling the war memorial. My hunch is that with the recession and the propsect of selling the cleared land maintenance issues at Dulwich Hospital are being fixed. Hence these lifts closing. We'll be watching to make sure this is resolved asap.

[intexasatthe moment]

James, are you any closer to clarifying you're original belief that Southwark's secondary schools "have agreed common admissions criteria "?

This is a real concern to me ,the admissions criteria for Southwark secondary schools vary hugely .

How can this be helpful to parents when trying to compare schools ( surely if schools have different criteria for selecting their intake ,they will have different outcomes ) or even understand the secondary transfer process?

Never mind the stress for the children in having to sit the tests required for the schools that operate a banding system.

And how does the banding work - if for example they have an oversubscription of children for one band ?

And why do the Harris Academies use banding that reflects national rather than local values.

And without wishing to criticise ( honestly ) how could you think that our secondary schools have common admissions ctiteria ?

[Don Quixote]

intexasatthe moment Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> James - just wondering if you'd made any progress

> on my query about describing the admission

> policies for Southwark's secondary schools as

> being a common admissions policy. ( If that makes

> sense )

> I'm guessing it's something to do with the

> application being made on one common form.

> Though as many of the schools ( ? 9 ) require

> applicants to complete a seperate supplementary

> form this rather makes a nonsensense of the notion

> of a common form.

>

> And my linked enquiry about banding ,particularly

> why the Harris Federation has banding referenced

> to National ( and not local ) values ?

Have you seen the latest Lib Dem political leaflet - they boast that that the school is "over subscribed". What a comfort!

[Pugwash]

James,

Have you cycled up Landells Road recently? Suggest you do so - the road is terrible - hubby says can you see if it is scheduled for resurfacing?. Thanks.

[James Barber]

Hi intexasatthe moment,

I've asked officers to fully explian the whole system and process and will report back what I find. However, my priority at present is on Primary school admissions as the councils executive will be receiving a report of what happens next in November as well as tonights OSC meeting.

Hi Don Quixote,

I'm sorry if the latest Focus feels like a boast on the new Harris Boys school being over subscribed.

It's a relief that the evidence we had that a new school was required is demonstrated for real with real applications. Much flak has been drawn building this school. Building any new school is a long and tortuous process taking 5-7 years.

The next big step is when it moves onto its permanent site in about 10 months time.

[Ko]

Pugwash Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> James,

>

> Have you cycled up Landells Road recently? Suggest

> you do so - the road is terrible - hubby says can

> you see if it is scheduled for resurfacing?.

> Thanks.

The road surface is really bad on the half of Landells Rd between the junctions of Lordship Lane and Goodrich Rd.

When I enquired about this, I was told this half of the road was surfaced by the council with an experimental surfacing material. However the council found it was no good because bits sank, making the surface uneven.

Therefore the council decided not to use this surfacing material elsewhere. However this half of Landells Rd has been left with the sub-standard road surfacing. It is very uneven to drive down, plus residents say it increases noise because cars are driving on ths uneven and bumpy surface.

James - please can you tell us what can be done about this? If the council got it wrong, which they admit they did, they should now put it right.

Thanks

[Pugwash]

Hi Ko and James

Both ends of Landells are pretty bad. Hubby Chris is always moaning about it as cycles up the full length of the road at least three times a week.

KO wait until you have to push your pram over the road -you will notice it more then!

[G]

Hi there, I am writing to ask for any information as to when the the large section of Goose Green roundabout was first damaged and how this came about?

Thanks

[James Barber]

Hi G,

I've asked officers to ensure that before completing the Goose Green rounabout works that the central island walls are repaired.

How did/do they get damaged. I'd guess lorry trailers.

[G]

Thanks James

do you know when the first report of this insodent was made ?

[James Barber]

Afraid not.

[G]

Could you give me any advice as to how i could find out? or Help me in my quest?

thanks

[James Barber]

Hi G,

Why the obsession?

You've emailed me several times, you've posted on this thred several times and created another thred.

I could ask council officers for an invesitgation but that seems at the face of it a pointless use of their valuable time.

Let me know why you need this and we can then both agree how much effort we both think sensible and practicable to apply.

Hi Ko and Pugwash,

I'll make a point of paying attention when next on Landells Road about its state and then feedback how we can improve things.

[bawdy-nan]

Hello Cllr Barber

I've noticed lots of lovely re-paving going on round about ED and DV and interesting narrowing of roads and generally pedestrian-friendly works. All good. One thing I have noticed is that the dropped kerbs - indictated by the cream bubbled paving have been raised in lots of places so that it is now impossible to wheel anything over (buggies, wheelchairs, wheeled bikes etc). You can see this especially at the Court Lane entrance to the park. I'm hoping this is because the work hasn't yet been finished but I've also seen it elsewhere where it looks as though the work has been completed ...

If it is a mistake it really needs sorting out. If it isn't what's the rationale?

Many thanks

[sian]

Why does the council spend so much money on a full colour publication to all households. It is full of puff features about council services but little accurate information on how to access them. This money could be much better spent. Mine goes straight into recycling.

[James Barber]

Hi bady-nan,

The Court Lane entrance to Dulwich Park I believe to only be partially completed and the road will be raised as part of the next step to that level. Clearly period between the two parts.

Sorry, you'll needa few more weeks patience before this is finished.

[James Barber]

Hi sian,

All London councils run several thousand services.

The Southwark Life council monthly magazine to every home has been found one of the cheapest ways of telling people about those services.

In the past leaflets were left in council building and libraries. That didn't work. Advertising in newspapers didn't really work as such a low proportion of Southwark residents read local papers.

From memory it costs less to run Southwark Life and means overall less is now spent on communicating with Southwark residents.

Less than monthly, after advice, would mean it wasn't often enough to be noticed. The twice monthly approach of Lambeth Council seems excessive.

[bawdy-nan]

That's great news James. I was hoping that was the case - thanks for reporting back

[intexasatthe moment]

Hi James - I'm still worrying away about the varying admissions criteria for the secondary schools and hoping that you can reassure and shed light.

I just don't understand how ,on top of the faith schools and their admissions criteria,how Southwark can have allowed a situation where Kingsdale operates a 3 band and lottery system ( plus scholarships ) and the Charter use geograhical proximity.

And the Harris Academies have a 9 band system related to national values.

Presumably this is to ensure an intake that will achieve exam results in line with national results - but if other Southwark schools don't operate this system won't it skew the intake in favour of Harris Academies and make it hard for parents to compare performance ?

And how are shortfalls /oversubscriptions for bands dealt with ? ( I just know I'm not going to be able to understand the answer to this question ,but would like to try !)

And then there's Bacons admission policy ,different again.

Why don't they all have the same admissions criteria ?

How can parents make sense of all this ?

[Sue]

Hi

Can you help re a street tree issue?

In August 2008 (sic) I called out the council because the tree outside my house was split down the middle and I was afraid a branch might fall on someone.

They came the same day and cut the tree down to a stump, and said it would be replaced.

By the end of January nothing had happened, so I phoned them up and they said a new tree would be in by the end of March.

By the end of May - no tree, still a stump. I phoned again and they said that according to their records the case was closed and in any case the tree planting season was over!

They gave me a new reference number and said they would be along to remove the trunk, and would then replant the tree. I even requested a particular tree, which they noted (Betula jacquemontii, a type of Birch which is used locally as a street tree).

I phoned again yesterday, as - still the stump is there. They didn't seem to know anything about it.

Yet again I was told someone would come along to have a look at the tree, and yet again I was given a different reference number.

I asked for the number for the tree department and they said they didn't have one and that the department had been disbanded.

What's going on?!?!?!?!

I was fond of my tree, and would like to see another one there. Preferably within the next decade.

[intexasatthe moment]

Good on you for perservering Sue.

I'm still devestated that Southwark allowed a mature tree ( Elm Grove / Highshore junction vicinity) with preservation order to be cut down .

It was in a front garden and deal was that owners replaced it - which they have with an 18" tree that's going to take many decades to mature and is in no way a replacement.

Good luck.

[Huguenot]

Sympathise Texas, but you're aware that a tree can bring down a house?

I've been on the wrong side of a naughty tree, and you think very differently when it can destroy your life ;-)

[intexasatthe moment]

I don't think the house was in any danger - my family had lived in it for 2 decades and it showed no problems .

When sold ,the new owners took the action re the tree.

Guess it's possible that they dicovered some problem - but surprised that survey's etc didn't show anything.

[Sue]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi

>

> Can you help re a street tree issue?

>

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hello? Anyone there??